Time To Hang It Up?

[HSB0531]

2 hours ago, hamerhead said:

Magnesium Citrate and Taurine. Taurine helps with focus.

I don't listen to country music, so when joining the country band I struggled to remember whole songs as I had never heard any of that stuff prior and couldn't rely on familiarity to fake my way through. And them country pickers can play! Don't sweat it. It got to where a shitty rehearsal meant a good gig because I was ultra-focused on the rough spots.

Plus - your audience could give a shit. You fuck up and what? Somebody dies? Nope. It absolutely does not matter. All they see is if YOU are having a good time performing. That shit is contagious. Your audience feels it. They see you having fun and they want to be a part of it. Focus there.

 

When Gene Simmons had his reality show, there was an episode where his son was in a band and asked for advice.  Gene said that if you ever fuck up a note or a chord, to make a face like you meant to do that.  Never make a "I fucked up" face.  And I'd like to add that by the 3rd set, everyone is drunk enough not to notice.  So always play your best in the first set, pretty good in the middle set, and let her rip/don't worry about the last set. 

[veatch]

Agree. Embrace the mistakes. It's rock and roll, after all. 

[Jakeboy]

4 sets of rnr covers have gotta be fun. When it’s no longer fun, time to stop, for me. I record ALOT as that

Is my passion, and I go to a serious monthly blues jam where I really let it rip simply because I can.  I let it rip simply because it is fun to do so and I still love doing it. A proper pick slide still sends chills up my spine and puts a smile on my face.  When it stops being fun, I’ll  stop. I am almost 62 and I don’t see or feel that happening anytime soon…

Edited September 22, 2024 by Jakeboy

[beezerboy]

4 sets??  I can't stand more than about 30 minutes before my right leg goes numb. its OK if I walk but standing in one place.... nope.

pint of Burbon would be my suggestion. that and fuck 'em...  you hired me, what did you expect was gonna happen?

really though... you can't hit it all perfect. concentrate on the hand full of things that have to be there, let the rest fall where they may. if in doubt... leave it out

[mudshark]

On 9/20/2024 at 9:39 AM, diablo175 said:

Getting old sucks. What's everyone's Alamo as to when to walk away from performing?

 

 

Back to the basics -- start a garage band.

 

[diablo175]

Happy to report that the gig went pretty well. I didn't brain fart (more so than usual) and other than a few intricate and/or delicate bits botched, I did okay. Hell, I even had fun.

I just might do this again

 

 

Edited September 22, 2024 by diablo175

[DaveH]

I think that we all tend to be our biggest critic, but I think you are overly critical... Everything I've seen/heard from you is, at worst, really good.

 

 

[HSB0531]

17 hours ago, veatch said:

Agree. Embrace the mistakes. It's rock and roll, after all. 

That's right! Rock & Roll shouldn't be perfect. Sometimes the mistakes make the song even more memorable.

[diablo175]

1 hour ago, DaveH said:

I think that we all tend to be our biggest critic, but I think you are overly critical... Everything I've seen/heard from you is, at worst, really good.

Thank you.

Yeah, I'm critical of my playing. I have seen what can be accomplished in others and, in my mind, should be accomplished by me. To settle for less seems like embracing mediocrity and renouncing opportunities to progress and evolve as a player. Especially when you present yourself as a professional musician.

 

 

[diablo175]

1 hour ago, HSB0531 said:

That's right! Rock & Roll shouldn't be perfect. Sometimes the mistakes make the song even more memorable.

And sometimes, they don't. Not in my experience, anyway But I get your point. 

I think the big picture is: it's more about how my dodgy memory and inconsistent playing impacts the rest of the band and peoples perception of it. Not sure how the market is near you but it's pretty f-ing competitive around these parts. And it's not helped that the area doesn't have a great music scene. Getting established, let alone creating a solid following and rep is brutal.

 

[HSB0531]

4 hours ago, diablo175 said:

And sometimes, they don't. Not in my experience, anyway But I get your point. 

I think the big picture is: it's more about how my dodgy memory and inconsistent playing impacts the rest of the band and peoples perception of it. Not sure how the market is near you but it's pretty f-ing competitive around these parts. And it's not helped that the area doesn't have a great music scene. Getting established, let alone creating a solid following and rep is brutal.

 

I remember the heydays which for me was 1975 to around the time they changed the drinking age from 18 to 19, then 21.  There were tons of places to play out in Long Island NY back then.  Of course, things changed when they changed and enforced the new age limits.  For us, the last several years we were doing corporate gigs or just a few Bar/Restaurants out in Oyster Bay Long Island NY. 

 

[diablo175]

5 minutes ago, HSB0531 said:

I remember the heydays which for me was 1975 to around the time they changed the drinking age from 18 to 19, then 21.  There were tons of places to play out in Long Island NY back then.  Of course, things changed when they changed and enforced the new age limits.  For us, the last several years we were doing corporate gigs or just a few Bar/Restaurants out in Oyster Bay Long Island NY. 

 

Our ragtag band of old-head headbangers might be a hard sell for corporate gigs - 🤣

Nothing projects elite corporate professionalism and success like old heads belting out Accept's Balls To The Wall or Motorhead's The Ace Of Spades 

[HSB0531]

2 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

Our ragtag band of old-head headbangers might be a hard sell for corporate gigs - 🤣

Nothing projects elite corporate professionalism and success like old heads belting out Accept's Balls To The Wall or Motorhead's The Ace Of Spades 

My band~o~rag-tags are 66, 67, and two at 68.  It rough just standing with gear strapped to our shoulder and neck, let alone load in load out. I hear ya!

[scottcald]

44 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

Our ragtag band of old-head headbangers might be a hard sell for corporate gigs - 🤣

Nothing projects elite corporate professionalism and success like old heads belting out Accept's Balls To The Wall or Motorhead's The Ace Of Spades 

Just play them as if you were Foreigner or Journey.  🤣

[diablo175]

11 hours ago, scottcald said:

Just play them as if you were Foreigner or Journey.  🤣

In that case, I think I'd welcome a loss of mental acuity.

 

[velorush]

On 9/20/2024 at 9:09 PM, scottcald said:

Hell, all the big tours have lyric prompters for stuff they've been playing for decades and wrote!  

The Tech Rider in the contract for a band we had in our church last October termed these "confidence screens." 🙃

[diablo175]

2 minutes ago, velorush said:

The Tech Rider in the contract for a band we had in our church last October termed these "confidence screens." 🙃

Unfortunately, I cannot divert my attention to read screens for parts. Plus, I'm of a mindset that the audience deserves better. Everyone's concept of entertainment is certainly subjective but a rock musician gazing at a screen to read their parts does not really fit in with mine. I guess it's along the lines of the HFC's commandment of "Thou shalt not wear shorts on stage (unless you're Angus Young)   Not knocking tablets and prompters on stage- I know a LOT of pro's and semi-pro musicians who use 'em. I just can't and don't feel like I'm giving the audience a good visual portion to the show, staring at a screen. 

[gorch]

Most of the audience don't recognize what you think are gaps and misplays. I have the discussion with my son frequently. Anytime he pops up in the breaks and complains about fucked up parts, I say I haven't noticed. Which is actually true.

[cmatthes]

I was backing a very talented Nashville-based (all original) duo last weekend, and the singer/lead guitarist had been joking before we went on about not being able to remember some of his parts lately (he’s late 50s, and has been playing professionally since he was a teen - great musician).  Maybe the third song into the set, he got a funny look and turned to me and said “Fuck!  I can’t remember how that intro goes!”.  I hummed it to him and he started chugging a few chords, until I stopped him and said, “No - that’s fucking “Jessie’s Girl”!  You’ve got to start on D”.   When we took a set break, he said he’s got to start writing easier parts.  😂

[RobB]

20 minutes ago, cmatthes said:

Maybe the third song into the set, he got a funny look and turned to me and said “Fuck!  I can’t remember how that intro goes!”.  I hummed it to him and he started chugging a few chords, until I stopped him and said, “No - that’s fucking “Jessie’s Girl”!  You’ve got to start on D”.   

Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaah..! The Mathi cannot escape their powerpop roots!!

[cmatthes]

2 hours ago, RobB said:

Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaah..! The Mathi cannot escape their powerpop roots!!

In all fairness, that was exactly what he was playing! 😂  He’s also a reformed Power Pop guy who does Americana stuff these days. I think I’ve got a pic of him from 20 years ago backing Pat DiNizio with a 4-digit Standard…